Monday, 20 April 2015

What I miss about pregnancy

There seems to be such a baby boom at the minute, my social media time lines are filled daily with scan pictures and bump updates! It's making me reminisce about last year like a crazy woman and brings back floods of memories both good and bad!.

When the Mr asked what my latest blog post was on and I told him,he had a look of utter horror on his face.

Do not fear, friend. After this particular bout of teething, all plans of a future pregnancy have been put on hold for now, until my sanity returns at least.

But below are just a few things I miss/love about the pregnancy process!

Those first few weeks: When only Stuart and I knew our little secret. It was too early to tell anyone. In fact we were still trying to come to terms with it ourselves, and for several weeks we got to enjoy this special but absolutely terrifying time together. Stuart wrote on a Valentine's Card ' You and me, we'll soon be 3' I was an absolute emotional wreck reading it. The thick glossy hair and strong white nails: I thought this was nothing but a pregnancy myth but wow, this pregnancy caper does wonders for your hair and nails. I didn't really take too much attention to it at the time but at a few months post partum I was mourning the loss of my shiny thick locks and unbreakable nails! Apparently this is all to do with the increased estrogen levels, blood circulation and sped up metabolism which carries more nutrients to your hair and nails. But I reckon Pregnacare supplements had a lot to do with this as well-My midwife told me to continue taking them even after giving birth to make sure my body was getting all the nutrients it needed while my body was recovering.

It's ok to put on weight!: For the first time in my life it was completely acceptable to put on weight, in fact it's natural and healthy. Although eating for two is unfortunately a myth, it's probably the one time in your life you can enjoy your food without feeling too guilty. (I didn't say no to seconds.. or thirds for that matter) Any time I was horrified at the number on the scales I reminded myself that it wasn't just the weight of the baby I was carrying, it was placenta, increased volume of blood/fluid and amniotic fluid.Pass the cupcakes, please!Baby shopping: The other day we were in a baby section of a clothing shop and I spotted a pregnant woman with her mum browsing the first size clothes. I could have cried reminiscing back to those days, browsing through shops with mum 'awwwwhing' and 'aaaahing' over all the teeny little doll-like clothes. Of course we could never leave a shop without buying at least something, even if it was just a pack of muslin cloths or socks! Not to mention that a shopping trip could almost always guarantee a free lunch with a iced caramel latte. I was in my element.The minute I got home I would go straight into Eva's room and get everything out and would constantly sift through all the clothes sorting them into sizes, several times a week. I was obsessive!

The naps: I'm talking the pre 20 week naps, before the aches, pains, heartburn, cramps and even lightning crotch(Is there a politer way to put it?) kicked in. The post work naps that stretched well into dinner time. I've never been a great sleeper so these naps were heavenly!The cleavage: I've said it before but Mother Nature gives you an amazing, natural free boob job, and in a cruel twist of fate takes it away from you, despite all the hard graft you've put in over the last 40 weeks. Life, eh?The pregnancy bubble: You spend the duration in your lovely little pregnancy bubble which i miss terribly! I start back to work in less than a month and my bubble is well and truly burst. My body is back to normal. I can lift heavy things, I don't need to use the lift as the stairs that once seemed kilimanjaro likeare now fine. I can eat all the soft cheese I want, a few glasses of Jack D here and there are perfectly fine. I miss my little bubble of safe!People are nicer, strangers stop to talk: Everyone loves a pregnant woman!.. (except for maybe all the men on my Facebook list who've had to endure my pregnancy updates.) Working in retail customers constantly stopped to chat to me, asking me how I was getting on and offering up pieces of advice (not all welcome advice!- I could have done without hearing about how your complicated your daughters/nieces/second cousin twice removed's neighbour's delivery was) People become a lot friendlier, doors are opened for you, seats are offered up.. People have never been so nice to me in all my life. Now i'm just one of those pests with a a pram. One that struggles to navigate it around narrow shop aisles and clips people's ankles in the process, the kind of person you hate to find yourself walking behind.

The bump: I was constantly being told how much i'd miss my bump, and after 41 weeks I honestly couldn't remember what life was like pre-bump. By the end it made everything awkward, I underestimated how much room I had between myself and cupboards, doors, shelves- everything!. Trying to get into a comfortable position in bed was almost impossible, even talking left me gasping for air and shaving my legs left me as out of breath as doing a marathon. Nearly seven months on I admit I really do miss my bump, my little built in resting shelf. I used to sit for hours watching my bump rise and see a foot or a leg here and there, watching it grow by the week, and the hiccups.. ahhh the hiccups.

The pampering: I was gifted lots of mum and me products for my birthday and towards the end of my pregnancy. Sleep mist, bump lotion,shampoo and bath oils. There are so many products on the market aimed at mums to be! (Mum and Me were my favourite but Asda do a great range, as does Sanctuary available in Boots!) I'd usually think products like this a little gimmicky and any excuse to get mums to be to part with their pennies but I really enjoyed them! The products are loaded with ingredients such as camomile and lavender to help relax and soothe those aches and pains as well as containing ingredients to hydrate your skin which can become stretched, itchy and tight in the later stages. It's a lovely time to really focus on your body and health and really take time to pamper yourself. Lets face it, once baby arrives this goes out the window!. I practically lived in the bath, did weekly hair and face masks, made smoothies with fresh fruit and treated my bump to a massage with bump butters morning and night!.

Lazy days: Days spent in the comfort of my bed. I'd make breakfast and would go crawling back into bed- which contained a massive stash of books, magazines, snacks!. At the time I felt ridiculously guilty.. Stuart used to joke that I spent all day in bed and get dressed just minutes before he walked through the door from home (...and there may be a little a bit of truth in this..) but on reflection, I had nothing to feel guilty about, had I known how little time I would spend in my bed when baby arrived i'd have spent the last two months in bed! instead we were smack bang in the middle of a house move, but nevertheless, I had some amazing pajama days, I think every mama to be should make the very most of these days!Being a psycho and getting away with it: All hell broke loose the day Stuart returned from Boots with the wrong flavour of Gaviscon. Aniseed? ANISEED? what must he have been smoking to pick me up aniseed flavour? The poor man just took it on the chin, apologising profusely.Any time we had as much as a disagreement, even just a minor difference of opinion such as what to have for dinner, my eyes would well up and everything seemed earth shattering. It's comical (and embarrassing) looking back. Stuart told me in the weeks after that it was getting increasingly hard to bite his tongue, but he knew it was the hormones. The man did good.

You're never alone: You've yet to meet your little one, yet there is an unbreakable bond. When I was having a tough time in work feeling my little one kick away really kept me going, it was such a comforting feeling, I was never alone. From the minute I found out I was pregnant I became so protective over this little person I had yet to meet. Remember that scene in Friends when Rachel has her baby?.Upon giving birth she looks down at baby Emma in her arms and says "I know you" It is so spot on and gets me every.Single.Time.

(Obligatory labour selfie...)

The labour/delivery experience: Every time we drive past the hospital my hearts a little! Stuart laughs and I have to defend myself by explaining that the maternity ward holds so many memories for me as it was the first place we met our daughter! It was the same hospital I sat in crying my eyes out when I'd fallen down the stairs before 20 weeks and we had feared the worst. The one I'd spent a night in at 37 weeks for an infection that wouldn't shift. I'd sat in the day unit with a trace machine attached when I couldn't feel any movements, laboured and gave birth in the home from home unit and carried my little girl through the corridors to the car on her first day home. So many memories!